In search of the 'great morel'

If anyone out there has a hot tip, suggestion, or would at
least be willing to share a few morels they have bagged, I would
greatly appreciate it.

So far this season I'm sitting at a big fat zero, and if I
get blanked again for the season, that would make it five straight
years without a morel found.

To make it worse, the only thing that would have made my opening
day walleye better would have been a few morels to eat it with.
My daughters, three and five, have yet to see what a real morel
looks like.

I developed my love of morels as a young lad. My dad and I
would often combine local efforts at spring fishing with an hour
or two of mushroom hunting.

The supper table was often filled with a combination of northern
pike, sunfish, and morel mushrooms.

It seemed so simple ­ the fish always bit, at least sunfish,
and morels were almost always a sure bet in the spring if the
ground wasn't too wet or too dry.

All you had to do was find a brushy cow yard that was full
of elm trees, get permission to go in if you didn't know the
farmer, and start hunting. Of course, there were some bad years
for morels mixed in there, and some good old-fashioned battles
with mosquitos and prickly ash, but that was about it.

Morel mushroom hunting in our area was good, and there were
plenty of places to do it.

Then, as I grew older and the mid-to-late '70s rolled around,
the elm trees started to die off. At that time, with cow yards
full of dead or dying elms, the morels grew like crazy. All you
had to do was find a dead elm tree stump on low ground and you
found morels. Sometimes bagfuls of them. Hunting was great.

Soon, all the live, dead, and dying elm trees were gone. Along
with them went most of the cow yards.

Throw in a couple hundred county homes stuck in just about
every corner of a woods, and morel mushroom hunting around here
got a lot more difficult.

I can definitely tell you that it's a lot different than it
was 20 or 25 years ago.

Here are a few pieces of information on the great morel:

- To share that hot tip or a few morels, I can be reached
at (320) 543-2131, (320) 395-2932, or (320) 485-2535.

- Traditionally, the best time to hunt morels is when the
lilacs are blooming.

- There is a national association for morel mushroom hunters,
the NMMHA, National Morel Mushroom Hunters Association.

- Richmond, Miss. is the self-proclaimed mushroom capital
of the world.

- Successful morel mushroom hunters are more tight-lipped
than the shrewdest panfish angler.

- Morel mushrooms are great in spore boy sandwiches. They
are also very good fried in butter.

- As a decorative item, dried morels last an awful long time.
The last one I found is still in my office and in good condition.
I found it five years ago.

Take a Kid Fishing

The annual "Take a Kid Fishing Day" sponsored by
the Winsted Sportsmen's Club is set for Sunday, June 8. To register,
or for more information contact Tom Kieser at (952) 955-1704.

The event begins with registration at 1 p.m., with fishing
from 2 to 4 p.m., and a meal and prizes from 4 to 5 p.m. Registration
is recommended.

Local offices gear up to assist landowners
as CRP deadline nears

From the DNR

With a narrow window already beginning to close, local assistance
has been beefed up for landowners wishing to sign-up for the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The 26th general CRP sign-up period ends Friday, May 30 and
may be the last general sign-up opportunity until existing contracts
begin to expire in 2007.

Earlier this spring, the Board of Soil and Water Resources
(BWSR), the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of
Wildlife, and Pheasants Forever (PF) provided funds for local
Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) to hire more than
20 technicians to assist county Farm Service Agency (FSA) and
Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) offices with landowner
sign-ups for 2002 Farm Bill conservation programs.

Those technicians will now focus on CRP enrollments. Ken Varland,
DNR southern region wildlife manager at New Ulm, said the DNR
is also providing staff to help landowners develop the best bids
for maximum wildlife habitat cover benefits.

"CRP is the largest and most popular federal conservation
program available," Varland stated. "Minnesota currently
has 1.7 million acres on 28,052 farms enrolled in CRP, and approximately
740,000 of that is in the state?s pheasant range. This program
is hugely important for a number of wildlife species."

Tabor Hoek, board conservationist for the Board of Water and
Soil Resources (BWSR), said the timing and short duration of
the new CRP sign-up has presented challenges for both landowners
and the staff who handle the enrollments.

The sign-up announcement was made April 22 with a start-up
date of May 5. Rules governing the sign-up were not published
until May 8.

Hoek said landowners should contact their local FSA office
as soon as possible for an appointment to sit down and review
their proposal for CRP.

"This may be the only sign-up for the next five years,
so landowners may need to take a little time away from planting
to get signed up," Hoek said. "We're doing what we
can by providing extra staff to assist landowners."

The CRP continuous sign-up will begin after the general sign-up
ends. USDA has reserved two million acres for the continuous
sign-up program, which accepts only the most environmentally
desirable and sensitive land.

USDA is making a special effort to help enhance wildlife habitats
and air quality, by setting aside 500,000 acres for bottomland
hardwood tree plantings under the continuous sign-up.

The 2002 Farm Bill authorizes the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) to maintain CRP enrollment up to 39.2 million
acres.

New updated DNR education and safety brochures
available

From the DNR

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has updated
and developed several education and safety brochures for outdoor
recreation enthusiasts.

The "Mentoring the Young Hunter" pamphlet focuses
on what a mentor needs to emphasize with a young hunter. "Instructions
for Creating a Home Airgun Range" outlines easy and inexpensive
ways to construct a home airgun range.

"These brochures aren't intended to be the final word
on outdoor recreation safety education," said Capt. Jeff
Thielen, DNR Enforcement Division education coordinator. "But
they will provide background information on courses we offer
as well as safety and educational tips. They're all well worth
a look."

The free brochures are available from the DNR information
center by calling (651) 296-6157 in the Twin Cities metro area,
by calling toll free 888-MINN-DNR (646-6367), or on the DNR web
site at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

Outdoor notes

­ Memorial Day is a great time to contemplate and remember
why we have the opportunity and privilege to enjoy the great
outdoors ­ to fish, hunt, hike, swim. . .

The opportunity to freely enjoy all of these outdoor activities
and many more did not come without sacrifice.

­ The fishing season in Minnesota for large mouth bass
opened Saturday, May 24. Top bass lakes in our area include Mary,
Marion, Union, Erie, and John.

­ Don't forget about the new limits for panfish. The limit
for sunfish is now 20, and for crappie is 10.

­ Now is the time to get your dog checked for heartworm
and on a heartworm preventative medication.

­ Ticks are out. After spending time in the outdoors,
remember to check for wood and deer ticks.

­ The sunfish spawn and, in turn, the best sunfish bite
of the year will soon be here.

­ The best time to catch walleye is at night.

­ ATV users should note possible regulation changes in
the near future. New laws most likely will pass during this year's
legislative session.

For more information and the status and condition on ATV trails
in Minnesota go to the DNR's Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

­ Take some time to get out side and enjoy Minnesota's
great outdoors. This is one of the best weeks of the year to
do it.